Admission
The M.P.A. degree is the recognized professional degree in public administration and is appropriate for students pursuing public service careers in government, nonprofit organizations, and private sector firms providing services to governments. The MPA program welcomes applications from recent undergraduates and experienced professionals seeking to develop and strengthen a broad set of administrative skills.

To apply, applicants must submit:

Recent scores from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT).

A statement of purpose, outlining professional goals and motivation for pursing the M.P.A. degree.

A professional resume summarizing education, work, and volunteer experiences.

Transcripts of all previous undergraduate and graduate work.

Evidence of successful completion of previous course work in U.S. government and statistics.

Mission
The MPA program promotes engaged citizenship and responsible public service. The curriculum cultivates effective and ethical analysts, managers, and leaders for work in local, national, and global contexts.

Goals

To offer a curriculum that allows public administration students to develop and strengthen technical competencies in the following areas: program design, implementation, and evaluation; human resources; budgeting and financial processes; information interpretation via quantitative and qualitative methods; and managerial strategies.

To improve student understanding of institutional dynamics in the following areas: legal; economical; social; organizational behavior; and political.

To strengthen student capacity for success in complex and rapidly-changing organizations.

To promote the exercise of responsible leadership.

To cultivate cultural competency for work in diverse settings.

To provide outreach activities that engage students in regional communities and organizations.

To establish the MPA program as a community resource for current and emerging leaders of public service organizations.

To contribute to the fields of public policy and administration and the effective operation of public service organizations.

To develop a faculty that is prepared to meet the needs of an evolving and diverse student body and community.

To maximize the resources of the MPA program by demonstrating high levels of faculty involvement, stakeholder participation, innovative problem-solving, and adaptability.

Master of Public Administration
The Master of Public Administration degree requires 42 credit hours of course work including six credits of internship. The internship can be waived for "in-service" students, those presently employed or recently employed in a substantive position in the public sector. The curriculum consists of a common component, a concentration and a capstone course. The common curriculum enables students to function effectively in the public and nonprofit sectors. Students will learn concepts of organization, public management, human resource administration, program and policy evaluation, budgeting, and administrative law.

There are four defined concentrations: international stabilization and recovery operations, management of international nongovernmental organizations, nonprofit management, and public management. In addition, students may design an individualized concentration in consultation with the MPA director. The individualized concentration may draw upon courses in other graduate programs at JMU and graduate courses offered by other accredited institutions with approval from the MPA director.

In addition to a concentration, students who do not have a significant professional work background in administration are expected to complete a supervised internship with a public or nonprofit agency. The internship will support the student’s concentration. All students must take the program capstone course in their final semester of study. The capstone emphasizes professional and ethical application and documentation of core public management competencies.

Students admitted to the program must seek advice from the MPA director before registering for classes. The director will also assist students in planning a program of study.

1 This concentration is only available in summer session as part of the Management in International Nongovernmental Organizations Certificate Program. Students wishing to qualify for a certificate must complete all four courses and, if they have no experience working in nongovernmental organizations, PUAD 697.

Public Administration Five-Year Degree Program
JMU undergraduates may complete their undergraduate degree and the MPA program in five years by meeting admissions requirements of the MPA program and carefully planning their program of study with the MPA director. The five-year MPA program requires 33 graduate credits in academic course work and a professional internship. Students interested in the five-year MPA should meet with the MPA director early in their sophomore year to officially declare their intent to pursue the program.

Students entering the five-year MPA program are not required to major in public administration as undergraduates; they may major in any field. However, they are required to complete the public administration courses listed below while undergraduates and will be required to complete nine hours of graduate credit while still undergraduates. Simultaneous enrollment in both undergraduate and graduate classes may have consequences for financial aid awards. Students are advised to seek guidance from all sources of financial aid prior to enrolling in graduate-level courses.

Students must formally apply to the MPA program, through The Graduate School, during spring of their junior year. As such, interested students must prepare for and plan to take the GRE in the fall of their junior year.

Admission to the graduate program is based on meeting the same criteria as students to the regular, two-year MPA program. Acceptance into the five-year program is conditioned on successful completion of all undergraduate degree requirements and earning a grade of "B" or better in all graduate course work taken prior to completion of the undergraduate degree.

Taking Graduate Courses as an Undergraduate
Graduate credits taken prior to completion of the undergraduate degree do not count toward the undergraduate degree or toward any undergraduate major or minor. Thus, the student must earn at least 120 credit hours in addition to graduate course work taken while still an undergraduate. Written permission to take graduate courses must be obtained from the MPA director and the dean of the Graduate School prior to enrollment. The student should apply for permission during their junior year. The student should complete the following three courses.

Certificate in the Management of International Non-Governmental Organizations
Globalization has prompted a rapid expansion in the number of international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) committed to economic development, relief, environmental issues, human rights and the advocacy of a variety of political and social causes. This growth creates employment opportunities for students trained in a variety of fields including social work, health sciences, business, political science, international affairs, education and applied technologies. Those attracted to employment in international NGOs have seldom had exposure to their distinctive work environments or training in the management of such organizations. In particular, students tend to be trained in job-specific and transferable skills in courses that assume work is conducted within the United States.

The Certificate in the Management of International Non-Governmental Organizations, an innovative and intensive course of study, offers students the opportunity to examine how international NGOs are affected by changes in the operating context. Over the course of this program, students will become more familiar with the distinctive features of these organizations, their managerial challenges, their social and political environments, their economic dynamics, and the values they seek to realize.

An intensive summer curriculum involves students in a case-based pedagogy requiring them to apply various principles in scenarios central to international non-governmental management. This focused program of 40 weekly contact hours delivers 12 credit hours of instruction in four weeks during JMU’s first four-week summer session (mid-May to mid-June). This course work will be followed by a six-credit internship with an international non-governmental organization, thus generating an 18-credit certificate delivered entirely over the summer.

Internships are conducted from mid-June through mid-August and require 300 hours of work. Prior to the summer, the internship coordinator assists students with identifying internship opportunities and approves proposed internships. Because internships may not be available in Harrisonburg, students must be prepared to move to cities elsewhere in the U.S. and abroad to do the internship. Approved internships may be paid or unpaid. The NGO internship combines experiential learning with directed readings and research in which students explore issues from the earlier four courses in more detail and in a manner relevant to the nature of the internship. The internship is not required of students presently employed or recently employed by an international NGO in a substantive position.

Financial Assistance
A limited number of graduate assistantships are available on a competitive basis. Assistantships are limited to nine paid graduate hours of tuition each fall and spring semester. Students must pay for any additional hours each semester at the tuition rate based on residency status.

All relevant regulations in the undergraduate and graduate catalogs are applicable.

PUAD 512. Seminar in Intergovernmental Relations.3 credits.
Intensive examination of the dynamics of the federal system including the political, administrative and fiscal relationships among the various American governments. Grant writing will be addressed.

PUAD 560. Regionalism and Urban Policy.3 credits.
A study of the problems of urbanization and inter-jurisdictional externalities from a regional perspective. Regionalism will be examined as an approach to generating public policy to solve these problems.

PUAD 561. Education and Social Policy.3 credits.
A study of the development and implementation of education policy in the United States at the national, state, and local levels. Students will be introduced to major issues in contemporary education policy and the evaluation of alternative policies advanced by subgroups of the population. Educational equity and its links to social and economic goals will be examined.

PUAD 562. Social Welfare and Local Government Policy.3 credits.
A study of the interaction of social welfare policy and local governance in theory and in practice. Students examine state and local government and community-based responses to urban problems from a policy and management perspective. Particular attention is paid to interagency and community collaboration as a way to enhance social service delivery.

PUAD 570. Governance and Accountability in the Nonprofit Sector.3 credits.
This course is designed to introduce students to the fundamentals of governance, accountability, trusteeship, and executive leadership in nonprofit sector organizations. The course will examine critically the principal models, processes, and practices used in governing nonprofit organizations and the relationships between the governing boards and executive leaders of such organizations.

PUAD 571. Public Financial Management.3 credits.
Explores financial management in public and nonprofit organizations by examining cash, debt, and investment management; risk assessment; capital projects and budgeting. Financial reporting, financial statements, and auditing will also be considered as accountability and internal control mechanisms.

PUAD 572. Contract Management.3 credits.
The purpose of this course is to provide a broad overview of the theory behind and practical application of contract management. As agencies across government (federal, state, and local) expand the use of contracting billions of taxpayer dollars are transferred into the private sector to conduct public business. This trend is not going away; therefore it is essential that public administrators be effective at managing and overseeing contracts.

PUAD 573. Economic and Community Development.3 credits.
Study of the theory and practice of economic development and community planning. Topics include human capital development, infrastructure development, regionalism, public-private partnerships.

PUAD 574. Tools for Public Management.3 credits.
This course is designed to introduce students to the practical tools that will enable them to deal with the challenges mangers face in the nonprofit and public sector environment. The course is designed around a set of modules that public administrators must address on a regular basis.

PUAD 583. Emerging Issues in Public Administration.3 credits.
A detailed, research-oriented study of an emerging issue in public administration. The course will examine new or emerging topics in the public administration profession with extensive readings and research focused on the contemporary academic and professional literatures. The course may be repeated for credit with a change in subject matter. Prerequisite: Permission of instructor.

PUAD 584. Environmental Regulatory Policy and Politics.3 credits.
A study of environmental politics and the policies that environmental advocacy has produced. Topics include the dynamics of policy construction, various substantive policy issues, and the prospects for environmental justice and sustainability.

PUAD 605. Research Design for Policy Evaluation.3 credits.
Application of social science methodology to program and policy evaluation. Research design and data collection, as well as planning techniques, are covered.

PUAD 606. Program Evaluation in Public Administration.3 credits.
Application of systematic analysis to program and policy evaluation. Students will complete a computer-assisted research project. Prerequisite: PUAD 605 or permission of instructor.

PUAD 607. Policy Analysis.3 credits.
This course is designed to help students cultivate the tools and techniques of public policy analysis. Students will examine approaches to policy analysis and assess the strengths and limitations of various methods for understanding contemporary social problems and policy challenges. The course is designed to strengthen problem-solving, analytic, and research skills in defining and crafting solutions to such problems.

PUAD 615. Legal Environment of Public Administration.3 credits.
Study of the constraints imposed on public administrators by law and judicial oversight. The course will address federal and state constitutions, judicial review, organizational and personal legal accountability, personnel law, and procurement law.

PUAD 620. Foundations of Public Administration.3 credits.
A study of public administration including the political process. Includes a theoretical introduction to the study of public administration and patterns of management and decision making. Serves as foundation course to the Master of Public Administration program.

PUAD 625. Public Organizational Behavior.3 credits.
A study of contemporary issues and problems facing the public manager. Contemporary management systems, techniques and devices will be discussed and case studies will be extensively used.

PUAD 630. Seminar in Public Personnel Administration.3 credits.
An inquiry to systems of employment found in United States governments and nonprofit organizations, the issues these systems raise for democracy, and the Constitutional and legal framework within which they operate.

PUAD 641. Public Budgeting.3 credits.
Public budgeting practices and skills with an emphasis on the federal budget process. Topics include politics of the budget process, budget types and analytic techniques for budgeting.

PUAD 650. Management of International Nongovernmental Organizations.3 credits.
Study of management of non-governmental (NGO) organizations in international settings. Through readings, case studies and exercises, the course explores NGO governance, acquisition and management of resources, program management, performance measurement and accountability. Prerequisite: Permission of instructor.

PUAD/MBA 651. The International Non-Profit Sector.3 credits.
Introduces the non-economics graduate student to an economic perspective on non-profit organizations with regard to diverse international systemic environments. The conjunction of economics with political, institutional, ethical and sociological elements will provide the student with a comprehensive understanding of the central nature of economics to development. Prerequisite: Permission of instructor.

PUAD 652. Politics of International NGOs.3 credits.
An examination of how changes in the political context provide distinctive challenges to international non-governmental organizations. The emphasis is on improving the ability of managers and service providers to adjust their organizations decisions and operations in response to differences in national and subnational political dynamics. Prerequisite: Permission of instructor.

PUAD 653. Ethics and International NGOs.3 credits.
This course studies the ethical issues posed by international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in both theory and practice. Emphasis will be placed on the contemporary humanitarian enterprise, on the ethical considerations it raises, and on analytical and normative tools for addressing these concerns. Prerequisite: Permission of instructor.

PUAD 661. Civil Society and the Nonprofit Sector.3 credits.
Explore the concepts, theory, and research related to civil society. Understand the relationship between the nonprofit sector, civil engagement, social capital, and democracy. Define the implications of these concepts for the nonprofit leader.

PUAD 662. Governance and Nonprofit Organizations.3 credits.
Study of the structure, functions and composition of nonprofit boards and their relationship to organization management and performance. Explore the fiduciary, strategic and generative governance roles of boards and common problems associated with nonprofit governance. Assess proposals to improve board performance and accountability.

PUAD 663. Philanthropy and Volunteerism.3 credits.
This course will examine the role of philanthropy and volunteerism in the nonprofit sector in the US and globally.

PUAD 680. Reading and Research.3 credits.
Under faculty supervision, independent study of a specialized area of public administration. Prerequisite: Permission of instructor.

PUAD 683. Special Topics in Public Administration.3 credits.
A detailed study of a selected area in public administration. May be repeated with a change in subject matter. Prerequisite: Permission of instructor.

PUAD 692. Public Administration Capstone.3 credits.
This capstone course, required of all graduate public administration students in their final spring semester, emphasizes professional and ethical application of core public management competencies. Course work includes a structured, individualized practicum project demonstrating technical knowledge and understanding of organizational, political and social contexts. Prerequisite: Open to students who have completed 24 graduate credit hours or are entering their final spring semester in the MPA program.

PUAD 696. Internship in Public Administration.6 credits.
Supervised professional administrative experience with a public or non-profit agency. Credit for 200 or 400 hours of work is three or six credits. Assigned readings, reports and a research paper are required. Prerequisite: Permission of instructor.

PUAD 697. Internship in NGO Management.6 credits.
A supervised professional administrative experience with a non-governmental organization. Requires 300 hours of work. Assigned readings, reports and a research paper are also required. Prerequisite: Permission of instructor.

PUAD 698. Comprehensive Continuance.1 credit.
All MPA students must remain enrolled in a minimum of 1 credit hour every fall and spring semester in order to remain enrolled in the program. Course may be repeated as needed.

POSC 561/HIST 561. Seminar in Marxist-Leninist Theory.3 credits.
A study of the most significant ideas concerning politics, society, economics and philosophy which have shaped Communism and Marxist varieties of socialism.

POSC 603. The Political Institutions of the European Union.3 credits.
This course is a comprehensive consideration of the EU’s institutions and the relationships among them. It analyzes the roles of the EU’s institutions and advisory bodies and considers the ways that executive, legislative, judicial, and advisory institutions interact. The course also engages debates about the "democratic deficit" in Europe and considers whether changes in the Union’s institutional structure might increase the quality of European democracy.

POSC 630. Topics in U.S. Government.3 credits.
In-depth exploration of specialized topics in U.S. government and politics. The topical area of each section of this course will be clarified in its online listing.

POSC 631. U.S. Congress.3 credits.
An analysis of the nature of political representation, institutional development of the national legislature, organizational structures, parliamentary procedures, and relationships with the executive and judiciary branches and with interest groups, political parties, and the media.

POSC 636. Public Policy.3 credits.
This course will provide students with a set of conceptual frameworks with which to analyze the nature and resolution of public problems. We will conduct an in-depth examination of the political context within which public policy agendas are set, alternatives are weighed, decisions are formulated, and outcomes are implemented.

POSC 665. Governance and Stabilization.3 credits.
This course will apply political science research and theory to the role of counterinsurgency and post-conflict operations in providing governance and stabilization. It will examine current military and political strategies in light of lessons learned from past operations.

POSC 680. Reading and Research.3 credits.
This course offers the individual student the opportunity for reading and research under faculty supervision in the areas of public and non-profit administration that are of special interest to the student.

Communication Studies

SCOM 630. Culture and Conflict Resolution.3 credits.
The course explores the relations between culture and conflict that emerge when competing worldviews become conflicted regarding power, control, and influence. Emphasis is on communication and conflict resolution theory with application to skill competencies required for facilitation, negotiation, and mediation. Integration of cross-cultural reconstruction teams into distress communities considered.